


Don't you know you've got my eyes?

by UnderratedSnail



Series: Feels like home [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends, Humor, M/M, Miscommunication, Pre-Relationship, Slow Burn, having said that, the friends to lovers will come soon be patient
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 08:00:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15945134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnderratedSnail/pseuds/UnderratedSnail
Summary: His parents had always told him that each pack had their own territory, and that any form of trespassing would start some serious shit.Was.Was this guy trying to challenge him?On an insignificant day in an insignificant September, two boys meet and change each other's lives. This is the beginning of their rocky journey.





	Don't you know you've got my eyes?

**Author's Note:**

> So I've been writing this au for months, and decided to finally post part 1! Of course, I could not have done it without my best friend, who both motivated me through the months and beta read this mess (shoob ur a lifesaver and ily).
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

When he came down for breakfast, it was to his mother and uncle Mateo cooking in perfect tandem, working with slight bounces in each of their steps.

This angered Lance.

He wiped the sleep from his eyes as he plopped himself down onto his seat.

Last night _sucked_.

"Morning to you, too," his _mami_ joked when Lance made no move to greet them. Lance just shot her a glare. She replied in laughter. "It's a beautiful morning, lighten up!"

"Yeah, easy for _you_ to say."

His _tío_ chimed in. "Come on, we weren't _that_ bad."

"Oh no? Next time, I'll record you guys. _Then_ you'll understand." He knew he was pouting but damn it, Lance _needed_ his beauty sleep; school wasn't making him any younger.

His mom ruffled his hair, putting his breakfast in front of him. "Okay, _mijo_."

"Seriously!" he said, biting into his toast. "You can't just keep preaching about how we have to 'stay hidden', only to howl like there's no tomorrow at the first chance you get."

Mateo settled in the seat opposite him, biting into his own food. "You don't know how strong the pull of the moon is, Lance."

His _mami_ hummed in agreement. "When you take your wolf form, you'll-"

"Not be a hypocrite?" Lance interrupted. "Yeah, I know."

"Leandro-"

"I gotta get to school before I'm late." He pushed himself to his feet, but before he exited the room, he turned back and gave his mom's cheek a kiss. "See you guys."

"Bye, _mijo_ ," the two said simultaneously. Lance thought he heard the slap of a high-five, but was out of the door before he could question it. Why were they like this?

Lance loved his family. And he loved the wolf. But sometimes, it almost felt as if _mami_ wanted him to be two separate people. One minute, suppressing the wolf was his top priority, but the next, his _tío_ would sit him down and teach him about his great heritage, and how we needed to embrace it. High school was already hard enough, he didn't need to pile 'identity-crisis' onto the confusion.

However, if there was anything that could calm his racing thoughts, it would be the countryside that surrounded him. Trees were abundantly scattered, branches intertwining with one another, and the breeze was cool and refreshing, even on the hottest of days. Lance was lucky in the fact that the woodlands he so intimately knew was only about ten minutes from his home, and acted as a shortcut for him.

Sometimes, when he was filled to the brim with energy, he'd run through the trees and let himself be free. The wind would carry echoes of his laughter throughout the forest, which would cause the morning birds to sing along to his melody. When he wondered aloud why he had such an affinity to nature, his mom had always said it was in their blood, and in moments like those, he would understand exactly what she meant.

Today, however, was not one of those days. His mom and uncle really _had_ been loud during the full moon, and he'd had to check more than once if they had successfully escaped the den when he'd heard insistent banging. If that's what it was going be like every full moon, then Lance was kind of glad that he hadn't begun transforming yet.

Whatever. Walking was fine. It was peaceful.

 

\---------------------------------

 

Walking was so _boring_ alone.

 

\---------------------------------

 

When he finally reached the school, he spotted is best friend walking towards the building. Smiling, he crept up behind the boy.

" _Hey_ , Hunk!" he shouted, slapping his hands on the boy's shoulders.

His friend jumped, and let out a noise that could only be described as a mix between a yelp and a choke. "Dude!" he exclaimed, and Lance couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up inside him. Beside him, Hunk relented and let out a small chuckle too. "You know you could greet me like a normal person."

Lance pretended to think it over. "I could."

"You won't though, will you?"

"Nope."

"Figures."

When they entered the building, the empty space beside Hunk caught Lance's attention. "Where's Pidge?"

"She's in the photography room, I think, trying to transfer some pictures she took in the woods last night."

"The woods?"

"Yeah, apparently she saw some paw prints that belong to her 'beast'?" he said a little sceptical, but not mockingly. He was a good friend like that.

Lance's stomach, on the other hand, churned at the mention of photographs. Whether those prints were Wolfblood prints or not, Pidge was getting close.

"Could always be Bigfoot." Lance joked. Hunk bumped their shoulders together as they walked into their homeroom class.

 

\---------------------------------

 

They were two weeks into their final school year. Of course there were some people who had dropped out, finding the workload to be too much and too stressful. But Lance had never heard of someone transferring to a completely new school during such a crucial year.

So, to say that this was unexpected would be an understatement.

As soon as Lance and Hunk took their seats near the back of their class, Professor Iverson walked in, trailed by a student. When Lance turned his head, his senses were instantly filled with something foreign and yet...familiar, like a memory of a dream that was just out of reach.

What? That...that wasn't right.

"Class," Iverson said once the quiet chattering of the room dissolved, "this is Keith Kogane. He'll be joining us from here on out."

The boy, who couldn't have been any taller than himself, was avoiding any and all eye contact with anything that moved. His uniform was as messy and unruly as his hair, and his hands were stuffed into the pockets of his red bomber jacket. He looked normal enough, if a little shy, if that was the right word. Distant, perhaps.

But it wasn't his image that had caught Lance's attention. It was his scent.

It took a moment, but there was no mistaking what he was.

Lance knotted his brows in confusion. _What?_

This wasn't right. This was _Sanchez_ territory, there were rules that came with this shit. Approaching another's territory unwarranted? Definitely against the rules.

 And so, he did the most appropriate thing he could think of in his frazzled mind.

He leapt up from his seat and said, like the true wordsmith he was, "You smell like my mom."

The words left Lance's mouth before he could properly think about what he wanted to say, and he instantly shut his eyes in regret as laughter filled the classroom. He couldn't exactly have said he had the scent of a Wolfblood so...apparently having a mom-like smell was the next best thing?

Ugh, Lance would have really loved for the ground to have swallowed him up right about then.

When the laughter began to die down, he slowly opened his eyes.  With little surprise, he found the new kid was staring directly at him, head tilted slightly to the side. He opened his mouth to amend his stupid comment, but Hunk harshly yanked him back down before he had the chance.

"Settle down," Iverson said, banging on the table which effectively silenced everyone. "Kogane, you can sit at the back there." He said, pointing towards the seat behind Lance and Hunk. He nodded, still not muttering a single word.

As he walked down to his allocated seat, Keith kept his eyes fixed on Lance, apparently not caring how strange that might have looked to the people around him. Lance wanted to say that there was malice in his eyes, but that wasn't really it. He couldn't pinpoint what it was, but it certainly wasn't sincerity.

Lance, however, didn't back down from this silent challenge. He wasn't going to be made to feel intimidated.

When Hunk nudged him, Lance didn't even flinch, just kept his gaze fixed on Keith. His friend tugged again. "What is up with you, Lance?" he whispered, but Lance just shook his head.

He finally turned to faced the front, hands curled up into fists.

"So," someone else said in a loud, obnoxious voice. He didn't even need to turn his head to know it was Lotor. " _Kogane_. Where are you from?"

The boy ignored him, remaining silent. Lotor scrunched his nose at the lack of a response. "The talkative type, I see."

Iverson groaned. "If you're done, Lotor, I'd like to finish registration _before_ graduation."

Chuckles filled the classroom again. On a normal day, he would have _loved_ to watch his two _least_ favourite people play out their animosity against one another, but his mind was racing too fast to register it today.

He could feel someone watching him, and he didn't need to turn to know it was Keith.

This kid was breaking one of the oldest rules of his kind, and yet he was walking in here without a care in the world. It put Lance on edge. His parents had always told him that each pack had their own territory, and that any form of trespassing would start some serious shit.

Was.

Was this guy trying to challenge him?

 

\---------------------------------

 

When the bell for first period rang, Lance shot out from his seat, ignoring Hunk's questioning glare, and caught up behind the new guy who had practically ran out of the room. He pulled at the boy's shoulder strap that was attached to his bag, which stopped him in his place. He seemed surprised to be faced with Lance and scrunched his brow in confusion. Lance rolled his eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lance spat harshly.

Confusion swirled deeper into the other boy's features. "Looking for physics?"

"No, I mean," he looked around before pulling him to the side of the corridor, dropping his voice to a whisper, "In _our_ territory."

"What?"

"Don't _'what'_ me, asshole! You know you're not meant to be here."

"Look," Keith said, "I'm just trying to find my class."

"Oh, drop the act." He let go of Keith's bag and took a step forward, looking down at him. "Don't think just because we're at school, you're safe."

Keith's face hardened. "Hey, why don't you just _back off_?"

He stared back at Lance for a moment before shoving past, but Lance held on to his arm to keep him in place. "If you know what's good for you, _you'll_ be the one to back off."

After a short pause, a storm seemed to swirl in Keith's eyes. "Whatever. Wasn't planning on staying in this dump anyway." And with that, he pulled his arm out of Lance's grab forcefully and walked away.

Lance was left standing there, unsure of how exactly he was meant to feel. He'd expected more of a confrontation, more of a challenge.

Well, at least he got the job done, right?

Grudgingly, he made his way to his own class.

 

\---------------------------------

 

By the time lunch arrived, Lance didn't feel any better since his little chat with Keith that morning.

"Lance, you know the chicken's already dead, you don't need to try and kill it again with your fork."

He let the fork clatter on the table, and stared at Pidge. "Yeah, real funny."

She wasn't even fazed at his tone. "Come on, man, you've been in a real funk today."

"Who's been in a funk?" someone asked as they slid their food tray on the table.

Pidge smiled up at Hunk. "Lance has."

"Oh," Hunk said, popping a chip in his mouth, "yeah. I think it's to do with the new kid?"

Pidge nodded. "Keith, right? He's in my physics."

"Yeah, he's in our homeroom. Lance _hates_ him, for some reason."

Lance looked down at his chicken breast, moving it around his plate. "I don't hate him, I just...he seems kind of rude." He knew the excuse was weak, and didn't warrant the anger that was invoked in him. Lance was cool and laidback, the jokester of the group. This anger, he guessed, looked displaced and out of character. But he couldn't exactly tell them the truth.

He went back to the slaughter of his chicken breast.

"Lance," Hunk said in his disapproving voice. Man, Lance _hated_ that voice. "he's been here for like five minutes, he probably just needs some time to adjust."

As if on cue, the student in question sat down in an isolated table further down the cafeteria with nothing but a pencil and sketchbook in his hands. Pidge and Hunk didn't even try to hide the fact that they were staring at him.

"He looks lonely." Pidge pondered.

After a beat, Hunk made a move to get up. "I'll ask if he wants to sit with us."

Lance's eyes widened and quickly grabbed at his friend's arm. "I don't think that's a good idea, Hunk."

He just rolled his eyes. "He's not gonna bite."

 _I wouldn't count on that_ , he thought, but nonetheless let go of his friend's arm. And so, Hunk made his way to the new kid.

Now. Lance didn't make a habit out of this, he didn't. But when it came to his best friend going one on one with a potential threat, Lance deemed it appropriate. He began to eavesdrop.

Perks of being a Wolfblood: advanced hearing.

"Hey," Hunk said lightly, trying not to startle the boy. Keith didn't even look up from his sketchbook. Hunk, however, was nothing if not persistent. Or oblivious. "So, you like drawing? That's so cool! What are you drawing?"

He didn't get a response. When Lance looked, it appeared that Keith had actually closed his sketchbook instead of showing Hunk anything. Lance had to bite down his tongue, lest he spoke any words of anger. When Pidge looked at him for an explanation, he averted his gaze, pretending not to have noticed her inquiring look. Instead, he focused his hearing onto the distant conversation once more.

"You know," Hunk continued, "it'd be way easier to make friends if you replied to direct questions." He said it lightly, trying to make a joke of it, but Keith kept his face stoic.

"I don't want to be your friend." he said bluntly, which sent Hunk into a temporary stillness when he couldn't find the words to respond.

What the fuck? Hunk didn't deserve that, he just wanted to welcome Keith into their school. He could feel anger pulsing through his veins for his friend, but Pidge luckily interrupted before Lance did anything dumb. "So how do you think it went?"

Lance just smiled awkwardly.

When Hunk returned to his seat, he let out a deep sigh. "Well _that_ was an adventure."

"What happened?" Pidge asked.

"He was very...blunt."

Pidge smiled a little. "In a funny way?"

Hunk shook his head. "In a rude way. I mean, this is a big school so he's probably feeling intimidated but. Yeah, rude."

"I told y-" Lance began to say, but Hunk held up his finger in warning.

"If you say I told you so, I _will_ obliterate you."

Well. Didn't mean he couldn't _think_ it.

 

\---------------------------------

 

When the next day came, Lance felt just as uneasy as he did the day before. He didn't tell his parents about Keith, didn't want to worry them. He could _handle_ this, he wasn't a pup anymore. And hey, Keith _had_ said that he wasn't planning on 'staying in this dump'. Maybe he finally took the hint and left?

Of course, that would have made Lance's life easy, and that was just not how Lance's life worked.

When he walked into homeroom, he saw a hooded figure crouched over the desk behind his, attention solely focused on the sketchbook in front of him. Gripping the pencil was a hand covered by a fingerless biker glove. What was this, 2009?

Rolling his eyes, he walked towards his own seat and sat down. He could feel Keith's eyes on the back of his head again, and it took everything in him to stop himself from turning around and flipping him the bird. Wasn't this guy meant to _not_ be here?

 _Whatever_ , he thought, and patiently waited for Hunk to arrive, tapping his fingers on the desk in a random set beat.

He did this for a couple minutes, until he felt a sudden kick to the back of his chair. "Quit it." the voice behind him bit out. Lance smirked and turned around in his seat.

When he looked down, he saw what Keith was so focused on. Despite himself, his eyes widened at the sketchbook in front of him. It was of a section of a woodland, drawn with such fluidity and detail that Lance didn't want to look away.

But then he remembered who the artist was. He looked up at Keith. "Sorry, what was that?"

The teen's eyes darkened. "You keep hitting your table. Stop it."

"Okay, fine." Lance relented, putting his hands up in surrender, "I'll stop hitting my table."

Which he did. Technically.

Keith slammed his pencil on the desk. "I didn't mean you should start hitting mine!"

"Oh," he deadpanned, still banging the desk in an offbeat tune, "my bad."

Keith let out a growl. Lance was getting him riled up, and whilst that had been the intended goal, he didn't appreciate the truly murderous look in his eyes. It was probably a blessing in disguise when Hunk finally showed up, which meant that Lance had to turn back to his desk to let his friend through.

If he heard a muttered _'asshole'_ from behind him, he elected to ignore it.

 

\---------------------------------

 

"And then _I_ said-"

"Lotor, I promise you, I _will_ send you to the principal's office for the rest of the semester, do not _test me_."

 

\---------------------------------

 

Unfortunately, Lance did share a class with Keith: gym. Well, at least Lance actually _liked_ gym, so no mullet could ruin that for him.

Or so he thought.

"Alright class, today we'll be running laps," Thace, their gym teacher, announced. Everyone around him groaned, but Lance grinned. He could do this in his sleep. He probably _had_ done.

When they all headed out to the field and lined themselves up across the track starting line, Lance let his mind go blank. He didn't need to worry about anything here, he just needed to run as far as his legs could take him, which was pretty far. So when Thace blew his whistle, Lance felt content.

For all of about ten seconds.

A lone individual shot past the group, and the scent that trailed after him made Lance clench his fists. No, no _way_ was Keith taking this from him! Putting some extra power into his heels, Lance propelled forward to catch up with the boy.

 _This guy is just trying to show off,_ Lance thought bitterly as he was struggling to pass Keith. _Asshole_.

When he finally did match pace with Keith, it was only a matter of when he'd overtake him.

But, of course, it wasn't that easy. After an hour of running, with most of the class panting on the floor, Keith and Lance were finishing a final lap before they went in for the day. Over the time they had been running, it had been an infuriating game of one overtaking the other in a consistent fashion. Having said this, Lance was proud to admit that he must have worn Keith down as he was now a good few feet in front of the boy.

Until the finishing line was in sight.

A flash of red sneakers shot past him like a freaking bullet train. Lance gasped in surprise, but he didn't have the energy in him to add in that little extra power. And with that, Keith passed the finishing line a second or so before lance, and was welcomed to a round of applause and cheering. Lance saw Keith rub his hand on the back of his neck as he slowed his run down to a walk, a small smile playing on his lips.

Stupid Keith, that was meant to be _his_ applause.

Lance was ready to walk back inside, but Keith grabbed his arm and put them both to a halt as the rest of their class walked past them. A smirk was playing on his features. "Guess you used up all your fuel too soon. Nice try though."

"You got lucky this time, Mullet."

Keith raised his brow. "Glad to hear that there's a next time."

Lance huffed. "That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"Whatever," he said, but made no move to turn and leave. They just kind of...stood there. It was as if Keith was studying him.

"What do you want?" Lance asked impatiently.

This seemed to snap the other teen out of it, as he widened his eyes and quickly turned to make his way to the changing rooms.

Lance simply stood there, confused, watching his figure walk away.

 

\---------------------------------

 

A week had passed. A full week had passed, and yet Keith was _still_ here. He just didn't understand what kind of game he was playing. He would barely speak to anyone in or out of class, but he developed this habit of staring Lance down at any chance he got. Was he trying to catch Lance off guard?

Because if so, it wasn't working. If anything, Keith was constantly at the forefront of his mind. Gym class? You best believe Lance would partner up with him, keeping an eye on him. Lunch times? His eyes and ears would be out at the slightest _hint_ of trouble. Even during homeroom he would be ready at a moment's notice to up and fight. But Keith had not yet played his card.

What was he _missing_?

 

\---------------------------------

 

When he finished changing out of his gym kit, the chattering of the corridor told Lance that lunch had already began. Quickening his pace, not wanting to be late in meeting Pidge and Hunk, he made his way to his locker.

After dumping his kit in and slamming his door shut, he made his way to the canteen. He was walking down the hallway when he saw Keith at, presumably, his own locker. He was ready to just ignore him when ugly laughter had caught his attention.

It was Lotor and his little gang, and they were all making their way towards the teen.

"So, _Kogane_ ," his British voice snarled, "how are you finding this place? Not too scary, I hope?"

Keith rolled his eyes. He closed his locker door and made a move to carry on down the hallway, but was blocked by Lotor's posse. Lotor's eyes darkened. "Were you never taught that ignoring people is considered as  rude?"

To Lance's surprise, Keith didn't seem intimidated. If anything, he seemed the most confident that been since he got here. He squared his shoulders and looked straight into Lotor's eyes. Apparently, Lotor was just as surprised as Lance was, as he seemed to shrink a little under the gaze. Keith smirked as he strode past him.

The two seemed to have attracted a crowd, which did not go unnoticed by Lotor. He stood straight again and let out a cocky, uncertain laugh, raising his arms a little. "Yeah, that's right, run away," he snickered, "Momma's boy."

Keith froze.

He turned.

He stalked towards Lotor until they were practically nose to nose.

A moment passed.

"Say that again."

The tension in the hallway was too strong for anyone to break. Lance found himself holding his own breath, a little scared of what was about to happen.

If anyone knew just how violent Keith could get, is was Lance.

Lotor really wasn't helping the situation. "You heard me," he said, and shoved him with enough force to push Keith into a row of lockers.

_Fuck._

To anyone else, it was the lighting, too small of a change to warrant someone's attention. But Lance knew better.

Keith's eyes began to shift to a more yellowish shade.

Before anyone really knew what was happening, the two boys were messily wrestling each other to the ground. Lotor was getting manhandled by Keith, face pinned to the cool hard floor. The boy was growling with anger, but Lotor hid any sign of any potential fear. No, instead he let out a mocking laugh, as if he knew it would rile Keith further.

Lance could hear faint chants of _'fight, fight!'_ in the background, as well as a teacher shouting _'Hey, stop, stop!_ ', but it was all drowned out by the loud pulse of blood running through his ears.

_This is it. Keith's going to lose control in front of everyone._

Without a second thought, he pushed through the crowd and pulled Keith off of Lotor. When he lifted the other boy's hand in examination, he found that his veins had turned very dark and were now visible, a tell tale sign that he was on the brink of transformation. Lance wasted no time in pulling Keith away from the crowd and finding an empty room - the photography room - and locked them both in it. No windows and only one door. No one was getting in or out.

When he turned to Keith, the teen seemed visibly distressed. "What are you doing? You need to get out!"

Lance ignored him. "What the _hell_ were you think-"

"No, you don't understand." The other boy raked his hand though his hair as if he were ready to pull at it. "You have to get out. Now."

But Lance stood his ground. It would have been too late, anyway; Keith's teeth had already shifted, so he was literally only seconds away now. If Lance left, there would be no one to guard the door, and who knows what Keith would do?

When their eyes met, Keith was the first to look away. "I'm so sorry." He said, voice laced with vulnerability and, if Lance knew any better, fear.

And with that, Keith had transformed. There was no longer a teen standing in front of him, but a wolf with jet-coloured fur that stuck out in all directions. Though untamed, his fur looked rich in quality, making him look more powerful, and there was an emotion through his eyes that Lance couldn't decipher. He took a step towards the wolf.

Keith scampered under a table at the small action and bared his teeth in a snarl. His claws had hit the tiled floor, with each _tap_ reverberating throughout the small room. Trying his luck again, Lance took another to step closer, but Keith just ran past him, knocking empty camera boxes and sheets of paper on to the floor.

"Keith!" he shouted, which the wolf paused at. Lance held both hands in front of him in a placating manner. However, the small space must have agitated the wolf, because he was now pacing around in a small circle. Lance needed Keith to turn back, but froze in his position. What if Keith didn't calm down? What if he attacked Lance?

Lance shook his head. _Not a pup._

Slowly, he crouched down, trying to grab Keith's attention by humming a song in an attempt to diffuse the situation and calm him down. The other boy stopped pacing and stared at Lance, almost as if he was mesmerised. When they held eye contact, Lance took a deep breath as he forced his eyes to also change colour. His father had told him that doing this helped ground a wolf, so it was a neat trick he learnt from a young age. It calmed Keith drastically; his growling quietened down and his fur settled.

For a long moment they just sat there, in quiet stillness of the room, eyes locked onto each other. Lance's eyes shifted back to their normal blue, but Keith remained in his spot with the same sense of peace. Before he knew it, the boy had returned to his human form, cheeks a little red and hair rustled from his transformation.

Lance stood up. "We need to go."

Keith nodded, pushing himself up from the floor, hurriedly adjusting his shirt so he looked a little more presentable. Lance approached the door and slowly opened it, checking that the coast was clear. He blindly reached behind himself for Keith's hand when he found the hallway to be empty, and pulled him out of the room.

Keith tightened his hold on Lance. "I knew it, I knew there was something about you! I mean, I didn't _know_ it, but as soon as your eyes went-"

Lance paused, finally letting go of the boy's hand. "What are you talking about?"

Keith gave him a toothy smile. "You're like _me_."

His eyes darkened. "I'm not like you." He resumed walking.

The other boy's smile faltered, but he nonetheless resumed walking beside Lance. "But, back there, I _saw_ you!"

"Look, we couldn't be more different. I, for one, don't _show off_. I don't pick fights, I don't invade other packs' territories." Now that he had started, he couldn't find it in himself to stop. "That was a close call back there. What if I wasn't there? You would have wolfed out in front of everyone. Is that what you've wanted all along?" He paused, trying to calm himself.

"Look, I'm sorry, but-"

"Dude, you being here is putting my pack in danger - today _definitely_ showed that. The sooner you leave, the better."

"How can you say that?" Keith was no longer by his side, but a few feet behind him. Lance didn't look back.

"Face it Keith, you don't belong here."

It was harsh, but he almost tore Lotor's _throat_ apart. Lance wasn't a fan of Lotor, who the hell was, but he couldn't just wolf out whenever he was being a dick. No, because his top priority was to stay hidden. If Keith threatened this, and the rest of his pack was _this_ impulsive, then there was little Lance could do but kick him out. And anyway, if his parent found out, the teen would face more than just a few harsh words. Honestly, Lance was doing him a favour.

Maybe if he repeated those words enough times, the image of Keith looking so crestfallen and small would leave his mind.

He skipped lunch.

 

\---------------------------------

 

When he opened the doors to Altea after school, his eyes scoured the burger joint until he found Hunk and Pidge sitting at their usual booth, sipping their milkshakes. At the sight of the two, his shoulders relaxed and he smiled for what felt like the first time that day. He slid in beside Pidge. "Hey guys."

Hunk smiled. "Hey man, haven't seen you all day."

"Yeah, was a little busy. What's up with you guys?"

"Ugh, Iverson told me that he's gonna shut the photography club if we don't find any new members by the end of the week."

"Since when did we have a photography club?"

Hunk snorted, cutting in. "Since Pidge wanted to use the school's cameras and wasn't allowed to take them off of school property unless it was for a valid reason."

"Yeah, 'beast hunting' just doesn't have a good ring to it," Pidge joked.

Well, at least she was self-aware.

"Don't worry Pidge, me and Hunk'll join!"

Pidge sighed, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her noise. "I already signed you guys up, like, last month."

Why wasn't Lance surprised? From Hunk's chuckle and shaking of his head, it didn't seem like he was all that surprised either. "We'll figure it out."

Pidge went on to talk about her day whilst Lance sat back, content to listen to his friends. He liked moments like this, moments where he could pretend to be normal, to be human. Here, he didn't need to worry about hiding his wolf, or of territory breaches. He could just revel in the comfortable atmosphere of Altea and his friends. This was his safe place.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Hunk kicked him lightly under the table. He recoiled his leg. "What?"

Hunk let out an impatient huff. "I _said_ , did you hear about what happened with Keith?"

Lance sat up a little straighter. "What? No. Uh, why?"

Pidge interjected. "Apparently he was seen leaving school grounds at lunch."

"What?"

"Mmhm, just upped and left."

It was then that a shadow fell over the table. "Who upped and left?" a British voice said.

Lance looked up. He couldn't help but beam up at the girl. "It's rude to eavesdrop."

Allura smacked the back of his head. "It's _rude_ to ignore questions."

Pidge giggled whilst Allura sat next to Hunk. Allura was actually Coran's, the owner's, niece, but she was working in Altea to save up some money before she started college. Though she was a couple years older than them, they got along like a house on fire. When he and his friends first attended Altea, she fit herself into the group like the missing puzzle piece they hadn't realised they needed.

"We were just talking about this new guy in our school, Keith Kogane. You seen him around town?" Pidge asked.

Allura shook her head. "Nope, but I think I met his foster dad? His name was Shirogane, I think. I don't exactly know _how_ , but he knows Uncle Coran, and they started talking. He seemed really nice. He mentioned a Keith, said he was starting at your school."

Wait.

What?

Lance's blood ran cold. "Keith's in foster care?"

His stomach dropped as he started to piece everything together;

_'I'm so sorry.'_

_'You're like me!'_

_'How can you say that?'_

"So Keith's an orphan?" Hunk asked, still sipping at his milkshake, oblivious to Lance's inner turmoil.

Pidge shook her head. "Not necessarily. Most foster kids have parents somewhere."

Lance felt sick.

Keith had no family.

Keith had no family, and was all alone and probably all kinds of confused right now. How had Lance not noticed it before? Keith had no idea what he was talking about when he mentioned territories, hadn't seemed to notice the wolf inside him creep out in his fight with Lotor, had looked so damn happy when he realised Lance was the same as him.

Lance just _assumed_ that every wolf had their packs. He just _assumed_ that Keith was part of one that wanted to cause his family trouble. God, it might have been the first time Keith didn't feel alone. And what had Lance done?

He went and told him he didn't belong here.

"Heh, sorry guys, I just realised how much work I still have to do! I'll see you tomorrow?" He left no room for them to say anything as he jumped out of the booth. Whether he tripped over his feet in his haste retreat was neither here nor there. Keith was out there somewhere, probably feeling more isolated than ever, and it was all because of Lance. He had to fix this.

And so, he did the thing he was best at. He ran. He knew that if he gave in to his thoughts he'd feel too terrible to do a decent job of finding Keith, so he let his senses take action. He kept an eye out, an ear out, heck, even his nose was working over time. But where was Lance supposed to look?

He stopped and focused. Keith could be with this Shirogane guy, but if he ran from school then he was probably distressed. Would he go to a new foster home to calm himself?

He was suddenly hit with what Hunk had mentioned yesterday. _'Apparently she found some paw prints that belonged to her beast'_. The woods. What if those paw prints belonged to Keith? What if they weren't regular paw prints distorted by the light, but _actual_ wolf prints? It had been a full moon, and Lance had made sure that his parents stayed in the den.

What if that was where Keith transformed that night?

With newfound motivation, Lance ran up the road that lay beside a line of trees that led into the woods, trying to see if he could recognise Keith's scent.

_Run, run, run._

\---------------------------------

 

It took five corners, two diversions and almost getting hit by a car for his head snap up when finally, _finally_ , he caught a whiff of a slightly familiar scent. Just ahead of him he could spot a figure, slightly hunched due to the large bag he wore, and wearing a worn grey hoodie with ripped jeans. Was Keith running away?

Lance's heart dropped. "Keith!"

The teen turned his head at the call of his name. He seemed a little taken aback to see Lance, but didn't stop walking. "Don't worry, I'm leaving."

Lance matched his pace. "No, no, no! I'm sorry, I was being stupid." Keith snorted, but there was no humor there. Lance held his hand to stop him from walking. "I didn't realise you were in foster care."

Keith still didn't face him. Just stood there. "So? What does that have to do with anything?"

" _So_ , I just thought that you and your pack had it out for me. Which is a pretty terrible excuse, I know, I should have just spoken to you _properly_ instead of jumping to conclusions. But that's on me, and I'm sorry. I just want to help, man."

Keith pulled his hand away harshly. "Help? I've had help. Counselling, Ritalin-"

"No, but I can _really_ help." He paused, composing himself. "You need to learn how to control the wolf before you do some damage. Maybe even to yourself."

Keith shook his head and resumed walking. "Whatever."

"Keith, I'm being serious. You saw, I'm like you-"

He turned, both anger and sadness pooling at the crisps of his eyes, "No. You were right, we're not alike. You think I need fixing, that I need to get better. But what I turn in to? That _is_ better. And _no one_ can take that away from me." With a shaky breath, he turned back towards the direction he was heading and ran.

Lance's heart broke a little more. He thread his fingers through his hair in frustration, angry at himself for being such a dumbass. He did this.

 

Instead of following Keith's trail, he took a shortcut through the woods. Having grown up around the area, he knew the ins and outs of the trees, so it was like a second home to him. He'd be able to catch up to him if he sprinted.

When he was sure he caught up to him, Lance ran back on to the road, a few meters in front of a slightly startled Keith. Lance took a step closer.  "Keith, I'm not trying to take anything away from you, I promise, but I can't just let you run away like this."

The other boy took a step forward, which reminded Lance of the way Keith approached Lotor. Keith was challenging him. "Go on then, chase me. Use your _wolfy powers_ and see how long it takes for your friends to find out what you are. Because they don't know, do they?" Lance looked down, suddenly unable to meet his eyes. Keith continued. "I have nothing to lose here. _You_ do." And with that, he turned to his left and ran deep into the woods.

Lance stood there. "Fuck," he muttered, and followed him.

 

He didn't know what he would do if he caught up to Keith. He could try to talk to him some more, but something told him that Keith wasn't really the talking type, especially to people who were dicks to him for basically no reason.

When Keith noticed Lance was on his tail, he quickened his pace. _Does he not get tired? Fucking hell._

 _"Keith,_ I get you're angry but could you _slow the fuck down?_ " Lance panted. When Keith looked back, there was a ghost of a smirk that Lance thought he could see. Hope bloomed in his chest.

So he didn't stop running. Keith periodically looked back, and each time he did, there was less venom in his eyes. His eyes were beginning to brighten up.

In a fraction of a moment, everything in the world seemed to slow down, as if Lance was trapped in a pocket of time. He could hear the leaves crunching beneath his feet, feel the blistering wind attack his cheeks, smell the strangely comforting smell of petrichor.

He loved it.

It was obvious that Keith loved it too, as he could spot a smile reforming on the teen in this little game of tag they were playing. He guessed that was the effect of being outside in the foundations of nature had on them, making them feel more free in a way. It helped clear their minds and forget their worries, and if this was how he was going to get to Keith, then so be it; Lance would run for miles if he had to.

When he was an arm's lengths away from catching up to Keith, he couldn't help himself. _Run, run, run_ and _jump!_

Before he knew it, they were both tumbling down a small hill and crashed into a heap of leaves. Before either of them could register any potential pain, they stared at each other.

A smile crept onto Lance's face, with Keith slowly mirroring the same sentiment, until the two of them simultaneously began to laugh.

Keith scrunched his nose as he attempted to speak through his grin. "You _leaped_ at me? I didn't realise you were _seven_."

Lance shoved him a little, face beginning to blossom. "Shut up, it got you to stop running, didn't it?"

Keith glanced at him, leaning against the tree that sat behind him. "Yeah, I guess."

A comfortable silence followed as the two sat to try and catch their breaths. Lance felt much lighter, like it was easier to breathe, and he could see that Keith felt the same. Taking a slight risk, he got up to sit beside Keith, leaning back on the same tree.

"I really am sorry, Keith." He said, trying to catch his gaze. When Keith looked back at him, his eyes softened. He didn't say anything, just nodded. Lance relaxed.

A few more moments had passed when Lance gathered the courage to ask him a question. "How long have you been in foster care? If you don't mind me asking." He asked it lightly, scared to break this moment they had created.

Keith replied in a similar tone. "Since I was two."

"And no one knows what you are?"

Keith answered in silence.

Lance continued. "So the night of the full moon..."

Keith rubbed the back of his neck. "Climbed out the window."

So it _was_ his paw print that Pidge found. "Was it your first transformation?"

He shook his head, "Second. The first one got me kicked out of my last foster home."

"What happened?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly, "I remember waking up in a ditch. When I went back inside, I found that I trashed my bedroom. My foster parents weren't really keen on keeping me around after that."

Lance looked down. "I'm sorry."

Keith shrugged. "Yeah, well."

Lance met his gaze. "You can stay here, you know. You're not alone anymore."

Keith's face softened, but he seemed a little uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. "So, what about you? I mean, full moons here must be something."

Lance stood up, a little embarrassed. "I wouldn't really know. I, uh. I haven't...actually started transforming yet." He mumbled that last bit, but of course, Keith still heard him.

At Lance's confession, the other teen stood up beside him. "So I know more about this stuff than you?" God, he could practically _hear_ the smirk in his voice. Ugh.

"Yeah, tell that to Lotor."

Keith deflated a little at that. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't know that could happen, I thought I could only go wolf when the moon was out."

Lance stopped and put a hand on Keith's shoulder to try and comfort him. "It's fine, man, you didn't know. We feel the need to change when we're angry or feel threatened. But we can help you control it, so you can stop yourself from letting it happen. Or even change whenever you want."

Keith looked down at the hand on his shoulder, causing Lance to instantly retract it. Keith's mouth curled up slightly as he began strolling. Lance joined him.

"Thing is, I don't remember getting bitten." Keith said. When Lance chuckled, Keith flicked his arm. "Don't laugh, I'm _new_ to this."

Lance bit his lip. "Sorry, It's just, you don't get bitten." He shook his head. "You've got a lot to learn."

"Then teach me."

They reached the road as Lance shoved his hands in his pockets. "Look, man, you were born this way. Everything you thought made you different, your sight, your hearing, your speed - they're all normal traits for people of our kind."

Keith looked at him considerately, tucking a stray piece of hair behind his ear, and they continued down the road in silence. He could practically feel the raw energy of all of Keith's curiosity that, for some reason, the teen was trying to suppress. Lance thought it best not to pry it out of him; he'd already brought up the whole foster thing. Keith would approach him about everything in his own time.

A couple of minutes must have passed before Keith spoke up again. "So if I decided to stay indefinitely..."

Lance grinned as he faced him. "Then you wouldn't be alone anymore. You'd have people around who are just like you, be part of our...well, you know."

Keith said nothing, waiting for him to finish. Lance scowled.

"You could be part of our...pack? Or something. I don't know." Lance winced. Why was he now getting embarrassed?

"Hm."

"Hm?"

Keith skipped a little. "Thing is, if I stay, I wanna be able to do things _my_ way. I've already had so many things in my life decided _for_ me, but not the wolf. I want to do this on _my_ terms."

"A lone wolf, huh?"

Keith smiled with a nod. "Exactly."

He snorted. "And if you lose control again?"

"Well, that'll be an interesting day."

He shook his head with a small laugh, "You little shit," he huffed, nudging at Keith. When the other boy nudged him back, Lance couldn't help but nudge him again, until the two were playfully shoving each other, panting with laughter as they made their way home.

 

\---------------------------------

 

When he returned home that day, he went straight to the kitchen. He opened the fridge, inspecting the contents diligently, when he heard footsteps behind him. In a split second, he took hold of a stick of butter that sat in front of him and spun around.

On to be faced with tío Mateo.

"I don't think a stick of butter will be enough to knock me out, but you're welcome to try."

Lance groaned, throwing the stick of butter back into the fridge. "Sorry, I forgot you were finishing early today."

His uncle chuckled, "it's alright." he passed Lance to make his own way to the fridge. Now was probably a good a time as any to mention Keith.

"Uh, tío Mateo?"

"Hm?"

"So, um. There's this kid. At school."

"I'd hope so."

Lance let out a laugh despite his nerves. Could his uncle chill for like, a second? "No, look, ...he's um. He's one of us."

He froze and turned to face him. "What do you mean?"

"Like," he put his hands up in claws, " _one of us_. And before you jump to any conclusions, he's not here to cause any trouble."

He went on to explain Keith's situation, and the more he spoke, the more the look in his uncle's eyes softened. Lance was relieved; he knew he and his mom wouldn't leave Keith to fend for himself, but there was still that fraction of fear nonetheless. However, the fear was quickly squashed when he told Lance he'd speak to his mother about this, but that Keith was definitely invited to dinner in the future.

When he went up to bed a couple hours later, he felt excited. There was definitely a shift in this town, and he was ready to explore it.

**Author's Note:**

> [Extra bit: the reason that Keith didn't know straight away that Lance was like him was because he's never met anyone like him, and doesn't really know what his own scent smells like, so he had nothing to compare it too. He just thought Lance smelt so different because everyone has their own smells]
> 
> [More extra bit: basically, Uncle Mateo has been living in the Sanchez household since Lance was about 10, after his dad passed away, though was a strong presence in Lance's life before this. And yes, Lance does have siblings, but since he's the youngest, they're all off to college, so they, unfortunately, aren't very prominent in the story]
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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